Dial telephone lock



Nov. 17, 1931. A. 1. MARTIN 1,832,494

DIAL TELEPHONE LOCK Filed Dec. 18. 1930 r a 4 Z INVENTOR ATTORNEYS Patented Nov. 17, 1931 UNITED STATES ALEXANDER I. MARTIN, F WOODSIDE, NEW YORK DIAL TELEPHONE LOCK Application filed December 18, 1930. Serial No. 503,118.

This invention relates to an improved looking device for dial telephones comprising a protective covering for the dial which prevents unauthorized dialing of calls, but which allows all incoming calls to be received.

In carrying out my invention I supply a flanged plate in which the base of the telephone nests, which'plate is provided with a sleeve in which a movable post or pivot is positioned. Attached to-the post is a cover plate or cap which shields, but does not touch the telephone dial. The cover plate or cap when unlocked can be raised and revolved in a plane parallel to the plane of the dial, and away from the dial, thus permiting the ordinary use of the latter. When the device is to be locked, the cover is swung back over the dial and the movable post is pressed down and securely locked in the sleeve, holding the cover plate in position over thedial. The structure does not require any modification of telephones and is easy to install; and may be cheaply manufactured of strong and durable materials, being adapted to be made from die castings and simple machined parts.

My invention can be readily understood by the accompanying figures which are given merely for purposes of illustrating and are not to be deemed as limiting the scope of my inventive idea, as a variety of adaptations can be improvised.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a telephone and a telephone locking device with a cover plate in position to prevent dialing; Fig. 2

away; Fig. 3 is a section on line 33 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a section on line 4'4 of Fig. 3, and Fig. 5 is a section on line 55 ofFig. 3.

In these figures, a base 10 of a telephone 12 rests upon a base member or plate 14 provided with a'flange or lip 16, which latter snugly rims the edge of the base 10 so that 1 no lateral movement is possible. Integral or attached to plate 14 is a sleeve 18 in which a movable post or pivot member 20 is inserted.

A cover plate 22 caps the dial 24 of telephone 12 and is provided with a depending flange 26 and substantially covers but does not touch the dial when the device is locked. Plate 22 has integral with it, or otherwise, an arm 28 is a side elevation of the same partly broken which later is fixed upon a post or pivot member 20 by a rivet30. Post 20 and sleeve 18 are perpendicular to the plane of dial 24 and also to the plane of plate 22, with the result that plate 22 may be raised and revolved, but the same does not contact with dial 24.

Cylindrical lock 32 is housed by a side portion 18a of sleeve 18 and prevents the post 20 from radial 0r lengthwise movement when locked. Look 32 comprises an outer cylinder 34, an inner cylinder 36 and tumblers, designated as 38, the two cylinders being positioned so as to cooperate with post 20. Outer cylinder 34 is partially grooved upon one side as at 40 to cooperate with post '20 and this allows the lock 32 to he slipped into its housing 18a and to be held in position by post 20 fitting into the groove 40. The inner cylinder 36 is slightly grooved as at 42 and the lock is so positioned that post 20 snugly fits into this groove 42, allowing movement of the post when the lock is unlocked; but post 20 is provided with a groove 44 into which inner cylinder 36 partially projects when this cylinder is in looking position and the cover plate shields the dial, thus preventing rotation or lengthwise movement of post 20.

Post or pivot 20 has a reduced end portion 46 forming a shoulder 48 and portion 46 is provided with a flange 49 at its lower end, so which latter has a groove 50. Groove 50 cooperates with an elongated tongue 52 mounted upon the inner circumference of sleeve 18. A pin or rivet 54 is fixed in sleeve 18so that a stop or abutment is formed within sleeve 18, limiting the lengthwise movement of the pivot to a distance equal to that between shoulder 48 and flange 49, against which two parts of the'post the stop abuts. This distance should be such that the cover plate 22 and its depending flange 26 clear the dial when the pivot is raised in its sleeve and cover plate 22 is revolved, and stop 54should be positioned so that the plate 22 cannot strike the dial when plate 22 is pressed down. 95 Stop 54 will ordinarily be made larger than groove 50 so that the structure will not be disassembled by sliding the stop 54 through groove 50; but if desired the top 54 may be made smaller and placed in such a position position to be rotated, the upper end of the tongue forms a support for flange 49 of the pivot, thus supporting cover plate 22 well above dial 24. It will be noted that tongue 52 and groove 50 strengthen in a positive manner the locking action of inner cylinder 36 against post 20.

It will be also noted that this structure is easy to assemble; the cylindrical lock is slipped into its housing with groove 40 and i2 turned towards sleeve 18, allowing the movable post or pivot to be inserted, which latter holds the lock in place; the pivot may then i be fixed within its sleeve by inserting stop 54.

hat I claim is:

1. A protective device preventing unauthorized calls with dial telephones, comprising a base member adapted to hold the base of the telephone, a protective cover adapted to shield the dial when locked and to be swung away from the dial when unlocked, and connective means joining said protective plate and base member so that said protective plate may be swung away from the dial only in a plane. substantially parallel with that of the dial, said connective means being provided with locking means adapted to permit the locking of said plate in a shielding position over the dial.

2. A structure as defined in claim 1 wherein the protective cover is slightly larger than the dial and is provided with a depending flange adapted to surround the dial and wherein the connective means is adapted to allow the plate to be raised and swung away from the dial when the locking means is unlocked.

3. A protective device preventing unauthorized calls with dial telephones, comprising a base member adapted to hold the base of the telephone, a protective cover adapted to shield the dial of the telephone when locked and to be swung away from the dial when unlocked, connective means joining said cover and said base adapted to permit the cover to be swung away from said dial, and locking means adapted to lock the cover in a shielding position above the dial when locked but to allow the same when unlocked to be Withdrawn from its shielding position so the dial may be used.

4. A structure as defined in claim 3 wherein the base member is round and slightly larger than the base of the telephone and is provided with an upstanding flange.

5. A protective device for dial phone comprising a cover adapted to shield the dial of the telephone, a base member adapted to cup the base and connective means adapted when locked to hold the cover so that dialing is prevented but when unlocked to allow the plate to be swung away from the dial.

6. A dial telephone lock device comprising a base member adapted to hold the base of the telephone, a protective cover adapted to shield the dial of the telephone, a pivot mem ber attached to said cover, a sleeve attached to said base member adapted to receive said pivot and to allow the same to be raised and lowered and turned radially, and locking means adapted to hold said pivot in said sleeve when locked so that the cover shields the dial but adapted, when unlocked, to allow said cover and pivot to be raised and rotated so the dial may be used.

7'. A structure as defined in claim 6 wherein the pivot and sleeve are perpendicular to the plane of the dial.

8. In a dial telephone locking device, a base member adapted to hold the base of the telephone, a sleeve attached to said base member, a post provided with a depression intermediate its ends and adapted to move lengthwise and radially in said sleeve, a protective cover adapted to shield the dial carried by said post, and cylindrical locking means housed adjacent said post comprising an outer cylinder provided with a groove intermediate its ends, said groove conforming in size to the post and adapted to cooperate with the same whereby the post may hold the cylinder within its housing, and an inner cylinder adapted when in locking position to project into said depression in said post preventing the same from radial or lengthwise movement and said inner cylinder provided with a groove upon its circumference intern'iediate its ends, said groove adapted to conform with the circumference of the post when the cylinder is in unlocked position so that the post may be raised or lowered or turned radially allowing such movement to the protective cover.

9. In a dial telephone locking device, a base member adapted to cup the base of a telephone, provided with a dial, a sleeve attached thereto in such position as normally to be approximately perpendicular to the plane of the dial, a pivot member movably positioned in said sleeve, a cover plate for said dial attached to said pivot member, and means adapted to restrict the upward and downward movement of said pivot, so that the pivot cannot be freely removed from the sleeve and so that the cover attached to said pivot cannot be pressed down so that it touches the dial.

10. In a telephone dial look, a base member adapted to cup the base of the telephone, a cover for the dial, a sleeve and a. movable pivot adapted to seat in said sleeve connecting said base and said cover so that the cover may shield the dial or may be raised and rotated, and means adapted to lock the cover in place over the dial.

11. A structure as defined in claim 10 wherein the locking means comprises a cylinder lock housed adjacent the pivot and transverse thereto provided with a rotatable cylinder whose circumference intersects with the circumference of the pivot and grooves provided in said rotatable cylinder and in said pivot at their points of intersection in locking position whereby the pivot may be secured within said sleeve withoutradial or lengthwise movement by revolving the rotatable cylinder until a portion thereof projects into the groove of the pivot.

12. In a dial telephone locking device, a base member cupping the base of the telephone and adapted to prevent lateral movement of the base, a sleeve member mounted upon said base member, a post member movably positioned in said sleeve adapted for lengthwise and radial movement, a cover member for the dial attached to said post, said post being provided with a reduced end portion so that a shoulder is formed intermediate its ends, and a stop provided within said sleeve adapted to contact with said shoulder so that the post can not be pressed down to such extent that the cover plate contacts with the dial.

13. A structure as defined in claim 12, wherein the post is provided with a flange upon its lower end, said flange being formed with a groove, and an elongated tongue mounted upon the inner portion of the sleeve adapted to project into said groove and extending lengthwise a substantial distance but having at least a distance equal to the width of said flange between its upper end and the stop, said flange adapted to abut against the stop and also when raised and revolved to rest upon the end of said tongue.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing, I have hereunto set my hand this 16th day of December, 1930.

ALEXANDER I. MARTIN. 

